To kick off Spring Quarter, the Associated Student Government Senate elected SESP freshman JJ Nabors-Moore as parliamentarian at its Wednesday meeting.
“I’m excited to take this position and I have a good hope for the future,” Nabors-Moore said.
Nabors-Moore, who ran unopposed, previously served as judicial pro tempore. He said he hopes to expand ASG’s judicial branch, which currently only consists of its Rules Committee. Though ASG has the committee, he said it is a “very rare occasion” that it takes cases.
“ASG, as well as the student body in general, could benefit from having a court where students could appeal certain decisions,” Nabors-Moore said.
As parliamentarian, Nabors-Moore will be responsible for taking meeting attendance, tracking legislation, ensuring compliance with ASG’s Code and Constitution and serving as chief justice of the Rules Committee. He will replace McCormick junior James La Fayette Jr., now an ASG co-president-elect.
The Senate also planned to elect a new speaker of the Senate on Wednesday night. Senators elected SESP sophomore and Muslim-cultural Students Association Senator Nur Yalinbas to the position. However, Yalinbas subsequently declined the role to remain the McSA senator. The Senate will hold another election at next week’s meeting.
Yalinbas defeated Weinberg junior and Undergraduate Schools Caucus Whip Kaitlyn Salgado-Alvarez. As the parliamentarian, Nabors-Moore will fill in as the interim speaker next week until the election.
Houren also swore in ASG’s new Student Group Caucus senators, who take office in Spring Quarter each year.
Following the elections, Weinberg junior and outgoing Speaker of the Senate Grace Houren provided senators time to workshop legislation.
During this session, Weinberg junior and ASG Chief of Staff Enzo Banal told The Daily he hopes future legislation tackles the Trump administration’s nationwide rollbacks on university policies supporting marginalized groups.
“It’s gonna be a challenge walking the tightrope between compliance … but also maintaining our values,” Banal said. “As we continue to learn more about what the current administration is doing regarding those policies, it’s going to be a constant uphill battle.”
Weinberg sophomore and Senator James Baer said he hopes to propose legislation improving financial accessibility for the Norris University Center’s pottery studio.
Bienen sophomore and Senator Calvin Simmers hopes to make Bienen’s practice rooms available to non-Bienen ensemble members, and Communication sophomore and Senator Asha Navaratnasingam hopes to bolster ASG’s recruitment efforts in her school.
During the Executive Board reports, Weinberg junior Caleb Snead and Communication junior Malik Rice — ASG’s outgoing co-presidents — bid farewell to senators and Executive Board members. Houren also reflected on her ASG career at the meeting.
“I am really proud of all of the strides we’ve made with funding,” Houren told The Daily in an interview.
Houren touted the New Student Organization Support Fund, which she established with former Speaker of the Senate Leah Ryzenman (SESP ’24) last year, and her work to expand ASG’s Board of Financial Review.
The ASG Senate will elect its new speaker next week. Incoming ASG Co-Presidents Weinberg sophomore Jamal Omoniyi and La Fayette Jr. — along with their new Executive Board — will be sworn in at the May 7 Senate meeting.
ASG’s Student Activities Finance Committee plans to release applications for its spring funding cycle later this week.
Email: i.steinberg@dailynorthwestern.com
X: @IsaiahStei27
Email: migueltsang2028@u.northwestern.edu
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